I cannot tell you how many times I have contemplated sitting Marcus Mariota this season only to regret starting him. However, if you are lucky like me, you are still in your fantasy playoffs despite bad quarterback play.
The once reliable Mariota, Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins are playing bad football and making dumb mistakes. Carson Wentz is down and out with a torn ACL (an absolute tragedy, considering the season he was having), Derek Carr is playing with a broken spine and who knows if Aaron Rodgers will be back.
So with all those early season QB1s looking like shells of themselves, there is a former third overall pick most likely lurking in your waivers. Blake Bortles, who has made himself a solid starting fantasy option, is posting 16 or more points in every game but one since Week 7.
If you have made it this far, a reliable quarterback is what you need, and while Bortles in real football has not been the highest IQ slinger, he and the Jacksonville Jaguars have hit their stride winning six of their last seven games.
Even though Marqise Lee and Dede Westbrook are locked in as the starting wide receivers, Bortles has put up very impressive numbers. The former UCF Knight is one of the most underrated mobile quarterbacks in the game.
He averages a solid 21.8 rush yards per game and despite throwing for just 160 yards and an interception in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals, he was able to cross the goal line himself twice and earn a robust 22.60 fantasy points.
But I know Bortles isn’t THAT good of an actual quarterback. What makes Bortles the savior for people like me and the rest of QB needy is his upcoming matchups. In Week 15 — or better yet, the fantasy semifinals — he gets a Houston Texans defense that has allowed the second most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
While Bortles was relatively quiet in his Week 1 performance against the Texans, he now gets a J.J. Watt-less defense that has sputtered immensely. This is the same defense that allowed three touchdowns to the one and only Blaine Gabbert.
If you are somehow able to claw your way to the fantasy finals in Week 16, be sure to keep BB in your lineups. The Jags get an all-around weak San Francisco defense who is barely better than the Texans pass defense, allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing QBs.
Most recently, journeyman and career backup T.J. Yates tossed two touchdowns and zero picks against the swiss-cheese Niners.
Bortles, who loves to heave the ball, will have the opportunity to test his strong arm versus the consistently Pro Football Focus-bashed secondary.
PFF has named the 49ers to its funnel pass defense four times already this season, and with a lot of room to work, Bortles will look to make yours and my investment one that will end in a fantasy championship (hopefully).
